Dan Ticktum took a sensational maiden FE race victory at the Jakarta-E-Prix, on a day when championship protagonists struggled.
Following Jake Dennis taking a stunning pole position, the eyes of the Formula E paddock were on the Andretti driver to see if could convert this to victory in the race.
With Oliver Rowland back in 17th on the grid, Taylor Barnard, starting second, had his best chance yet to secure his maiden victory.
Nick Cassidy aimed to continue his renaissance from fourth, while Dan Ticktum could prove a dark horse in the Jakarta E-Prix, starting the race from fifth.
The heat would also play a factor in the race. High ambient temperatures sent the track temperatures soaring, requiring drivers to be careful when managing energy
Race start and a waiting game at the Jakarta E-Prix
At lights out Dennis got away well and held off Barnard. De Vries had a spectacilar start and moved into second.
Dan Tickum moved into foruth, muscling his way past Nick Cassidy. Rowland saw slow but steady progress on lap 1, moving up to 14th by the end of the first lap.
Cassidy opted for caution once Ticktum passed him, choosing to observe those in front of him rather than go for an all out attack.
The field settled into a rhythm as the field started the third lap, the cars running nose to tail. Jean Eric Vergne took his first Attack Mode, but he remained well down the order in 13th. He pitted on lap 5 with damage after an incident with Mitch Evans.
Nico Mueller made a late dive move on Sam Bird’s McLaren, kicking up dust offline as he did. Rookies Zane Maloney and David Beckmann were next, but both were at the back of the field, minimising their progress to just outside the top ten.
Maximillian Gunther became the first to retire on Lap 7, a frustrating race coming to an end for the German after being shuffled into the wall by Rowland. Rowland had moved into 12th by this point, expending energy in his quest to move up the order.
Pascal Wehrlein took his Attack Mode on lap 11, although this sent him tumbling down the order. Taking six minutes, he struggled to make progress. However, Rowland’s progress took a significant hit after being awarded a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.
Wehrlein, Bird and Vandoorne were locked in a tight battle, with Vandoorne and Bird losing out.
The leaders make their move
The top five continued to run in formation, with Jake Dennis maintaining control of the race.
The batch of drivers below the top five made their move on Attack Mode, causing Dan Ticktum to take his to cover off the threat. Now in seventh.
Barnard was next to take his Attack Mode, and clipped the wall, though able to continue. Taking three minutes, causing De Vries and Dennis to take theirs the following lap.
The leaders emerged split between Cassidy and Da Costa, giving Dennis breathing space. De Vries past Cassidy to move directly behind his race rival.
Barnard’s podium chances looked all but over after he ran wide again as his first Attack Mode ended. He now ran in ninth.
De Vries attempted an aggressive mode on Dennis using his Attack Mode, the Andretti driver defending hard.
With 20 seconds left, De Vries tried again on the next lap. The Dutchman passed Dennis, but took off the Andretti’s front wing.
Carbon fibre littered the circuit, bringing out the Safety Car while the myriad of debris was cleared. Dennis was able to continue.
Nick Cassidy was the biggest loser of the incident next to Dennis. He had taken his Attack Mode moments before the Safety Car was deployed.
Race resumes
De Vries bolted at the restart, the incident now under investigation by the stewards. With 12 laps to go, the top 12 cars all had one Attack Mode remaining of various duration.
Wehrlein attempted a late lunge on Rowland on lap 27, both able to continue, but losing places.
De Vries was awarded a ten second time penalty for the incident with Dennis with ten laps to go. He took his final Attack Mode on the next lap, now out of contention for the victory.
Dennis, now back in the lead, took his last Attack Mode, joining behind Ticktum. Jake Hughes stopped at turn 1, bringing out a full course yellow.
Dennis, who had taken his four minutes of Attack Mode seconds before, now had an advantage on Ticktum and Mortara.
In a series of dramatic corners, Wehrlein hit the barriers after a technical failure, while De Vries retired after his car shut down. Simultaneously, Jake Dennis dropped down the order and pulled into the pits. This brought out another full course yellow.
Final restart
Once the chaos had played out, Ticktum and Mortara led the field, leading to a four-lap sprint shootout. At the restart, Ticktum immediatley defended from the sole remaining Mahindra.
Ticktum had a small energy advantage over Mortara, but the Mahindra was glued to the back of the Cupra Kiro. As the cars started lap 35, the gap remained at just under half a second.
The championship contenders climbed through the order, but remained in the lower fringes of the points. Rowland was seventh, carrying a penalty, with Barnard just behind in eighth.
Starting the final lap, the top two were still nose to tail, but Ticktum held off to take a sensational first win from Mortara.
Provisional Classification
- Dan Ticktum
- Edoardo Mortara
- Nico Mueller
- Antonio Felix Da Costa
- Nick Cassidy
- Taylor Barnard
- Sam Bird
- Sebastien Buemi
- Robin Frijns
- Oliver Rowland
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Mitch Evans
- Lucas Di Grassi
- Norman Nato
- David Beckmann
- Jean Eric Vergne
- Zane Maloney
- Nyck de Vries
Not Classified
Stoffel Vandoorne
Jake Huges
Maxmillian Gunther
